Review: Qwel & Maker, “Owl”

Owl is proudly out of step with the rap race, but Qwel & Maker’s classical hip-hop values deserve a wide audience. A prickly veteran of Chicago’s indie-ground, Qwel rhymes in splendidly discursive statements, but has learned to dial back his loquaciousness. The underrated producer Maker complements Qwel with detailed soul collages, but doesn’t overwhelm his morality tales on “The Game” and “Gin River,” the latter a poignant story of a lost girl searching for a father figure. They work in close harmony, taking Owl from the gloriously weary tour diary “El Camino” to the hard grooves of “Gambling Man.”